Help! I'm a newbie! Where do we stay?

[Kimbert27]

My bf and I are planning on taking his 10 yr. old son and 11 yr. old niece to Disney in early December. I heard that this board had some great information and advice! Any recommendations or help on where to stay, and the best way to book would be appreciated If you wish, you can email me!

Thanks in advance!!!!!

Kimber

 

[kdibattista]

First of all... WELCOME TO THE DIS!!!! You should find all the info you need right here. With that said, our all time favorite resort is Animal Kingdom Lodge. What type of budget are you working with? You can stay at a value, moderate or deluxe and there are several different packages. A great source of info, aside from here, is www.wdwig.com for general info and www.mousesavers.com for discount informatin. You can book through a travel agent (check out Dreams Unlimited here on this site http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/), disney itself (407-W-DISNEY) or online travel sites. Good luck planning... it's half the fun

 

[Kae]

What is your budget? I think there is place in each catagory that would work.

Get some Books Passporter, Offical Guide or WDW for Adults-very decriptive about resorts New one coming out July 22, wait for the new one, pre ordered mine on B&N.

The kids are at an age where they might want to help.

Kae

 

[Kimbert27]

Budget wise, I have been looking at the Deluxe and Moderate resorts, just having a very hard time deciding! Thank you for the advice so far, I will search those resources!

Kimber

 

[MKFan-PR]

Welcome!

With a little planning you'll have a wonderful stay!

First, there are many options, so you'll havwe to do some homework.

*Get a guidebook. You'll get a lot of different opinions on which one is best. If you heven't gone before, the Birnbaum Guide to WDW (the 'official' guide) has a lot of pictures and maps and is good at giving you general information. If you want more details as well as reviews and touring plans, you could go with the Passporter or the 'Unofficial Guide'.

*In terms of resort recommendations, and bcause you'll travel with a 10 and an 11 year old, I would recommend the following options (again, you'll get a lot of opinions on this!):

Value Resorts:
-All Star Sports (AS-Sp)
-All Star Movies (AS-Mo)

Moderate Resorts:
-Caribbean Beach (CBR)

Deluxe Resorts:
-Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL)
-Wlderness Lodge (WL)

Find out more about each. I'm sure more questions will come up along the way. Feel free to ask anything (remember: there are no dumb questions...). The good folks here at the DIS will be glad to answer them all. After all, it's our favorite topic: Disney!

*For information on making reservations and discounts, you can go to this site:

http://www.mousesavers.com

Bookmark it and check often. There's lots of great info on discounts!

Planning a trip to WDW is the next best thing to being there.

Have fun!

 

[safetymom]

If you are looking at the moderates Caribbean Beach is a very nice resort. I have pictures of the resort on my web site. When you decide and you choose CBR you might want to read the FAQ thread listed below.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

The CR has large rooms and you could get 2 queens and a daybed. They have a great arcade for the kids and the monorail to MK and Epcot is a BIG plus. You can also see the fireworks from the CR. Easy to hop on the monorail for meals at Poly and GF. WL is beautifully decorated for Christmas and you could request bunk beds for the kids. The boat to MK is nice and the theming is fabulous. Welcome and have fun deciding!

 

[ead79]

Welcome to the DIS! We're glad you joined us. I have never stayed at a moderate (only value and deluxe), so I can't help with that choice. I have stayed at every deluxe except the Contemporary, so hopefully I can help with that.

My favorites are:

Grand Floridian (GF)
Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL)
Yacht Club and BoardWalk Inn--tied for third (YC and BWI)

Of those three, the AKL is the least expensive, and it has rooms with bunkbeds, which the kids might enjoy. Plus, savannah view rooms have incredible views--it's really neat. It is a little remote though, so expect slightly long bus rides to get to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

The Grand Floridian is very elegant and feminine, which really appeals to me. Despite its elegance, kids are certainly welcome--it is Disney after all! It is also located on the monorail, so you would have very quick access to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

The Yacht Club and BoardWalk Inn are located right across a lagoon from each other, so their location is essentially the same. It's within walking distance of Epcot, and a longer walk to Disney-MGM Studios. Of course, that's very nice to be able to walk to some parks. The Yacht Club has a terrific pool area called Stormalong Bay, which the kids would love (it's heated year-round).

I would check out the pictures of the rooms on www.wdwig.com and www.ourlaughingplace.com to help you decide which theme appeals to you the most.

 

[sharktums]

I think it also depends on what parks you're most interested in hitting. If you know the kids want to spend the majority of your time at MK then probably look to a resort over there, if you want to try and do MGM and Epcot a lot try and stay near there, etc.

In the MK area my favorite resort is Wilderness Lodge.

In the Epcot area my favorite resort is Boardwalk Inn.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is beautiful, but far away from the other 3 parks, so take that into consideration.

Hope this helps a bit!

Elissa

 

[msteddom]

My advice is to narrow down your choices to a few options and then let the kids decide. That would be a great way to involve them in the planning and to make sure that you end up at a resort that they will really love.

 

[sarahj]

If you are looking at the moderates, the CBR is very nice. Good for kids too.